1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a portable terminal with a retractable speaker device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable terminals have become one of the important daily necessities that are indispensable for people in their everyday life. With the development of communication technologies, such portable terminals may offer users not only the typical call service but also a variety of multimedia services such as a message service, a video service, an MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3) service, an Internet service, a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) service, and a game service.
Generally, portable terminals provide a variety of high-quality sounds for the multimedia services and support many new and improved functions, downloading audio and/or music files and providing an audio playback function and downloading video (multimedia) data and providing a video playback function. As many users enjoy multimedia functions, such as DMB and games, speakers capable of providing higher-quality sounds are commonly mounted in the portable terminals.
FIG. 1 illustrates a portable terminal in which a receiver (or earpiece) and a speaker are integrally formed according to the prior art, and FIG. 2 illustrates a portable terminal in which a receiver and a speaker are separately formed according to the prior art.
Referring to FIG. 1, on a body housing 11 of a portable terminal 10, a receiving hole 14 is formed in an upper portion of a display device 12 that visualizes images and content, and a microphone (or transmitter/mouthpiece) 13 is arranged in a lower portion of the display device 12. A speaker 15 is integrally formed in the receiving hole (opening) 14 in such a manner that the speaker 15 is provided inside the body housing 11 and generates sounds to the outside.
Since the speaker 15 is integrally formed in the receiving hole 14, the sound quality of multimedia, such as bell, MP3 and video, may deteriorate during playback of the multimedia. Hence, there is a limitation in achieving a sound effect suiting a user's taste.
In addition, the receiving hole 14 formed in the body housing 11 is limited in size and the recent slimming trend of portable terminals reduces an installation space for the speaker 15, lowering efficiency of sound radiation through the receiving hole 14.
Referring to FIG. 2, a receiver 22, through which a user can receive voice from another party during a call, is provided in a body housing 21 of a portable terminal 20. A speaker 23 is provided under the receiver 22 separately from the receiver 22 to output or radiate sounds generated during playback of multimedia or content, e.g., MP3 files, videos, DMB and games. The speaker 23 may be provided in an opposing relationship with the receiver 22, or may be provided at both sides of the receiver 22.
Since the receiver 22 and the speaker 23 are provided independently in the body housing 21, the installation space increases, which is an impediment to the slimming trend in portable devices. In addition, the speaker 23 requires a resonance space for generating sounds, which further increases thickness of the body housing 21.
Therefore, there is a need for a portable terminal with a speaker that can provide an aesthetic sense of the portable terminal and easily secure a resonance space for a slim speaker device.
In addition, a need exists for a portable terminal with a speaker that can improve the quality of the sounds output during playback of multimedia content such as MP3, videos, DMB and games.